I listened to Mark start in on what was going to turn out to be a hellish conversation about splitting some assets while I watched as Colton grabbed a cold beer from the fridge.He leaned up against the counter, locked eyes with me and drank down the beer.
The moment I hung up the phone Colton placed the beer bottle on the counter and started walking away.
“What are you doing?What was that supposed to mean?Wait?”I yelled, starting to go after him.
Colton chuckled under his breath while shaking his head, and turned toward me, meeting my eyes.“You’ll see,” he said, leaving the kitchen once again.
“I thought I got my point across about the beer?”I yelled after him.
Colton turned back around and came right up to me, his body brushing against mine.
“Well, baby girl,” he said as he looked down into my face, “your plan starts tomorrow, so my beer drinking will stop then.Have yourself a good night, and tell Mark to tone down the language.A happy relationship doesn’t sound like that.”
He tore his eyes from mine and took off down the hall, leaving me standing in the kitchen staring after him, just as my cell phone started ringing again.
“How would you know?”I shouted after him, only to hear his door slam shut.
Chapter Seven
Colton
I kickedthe covers off me and sat on the edge of the bed, running my fingers through my hair.I needed a haircut and made a quick note to get one today while I was out and about.Six had come quickly.I’d listened to her tapping away on the keys of her computer until almost one in the morning, followed by her murmured frustrated voice through the wall our bedrooms shared.Judging from the phone call earlier, I assumed it was this Mark guy, and by the sounds of things, her relationship was far from the perfectly happy status she claimed it had.
I ran my hands through my hair again, yawned, and then made my way to the shower.Then I got dressed in my usual attire for practice, shoved a change of clothes into my bag for after, and made my way to the kitchen.There was no way she’d be up yet, so I was looking forward to having a quiet breakfast before spending a couple of hours with the boys, only that was quickly pulled out from under me as I rounded the corner.
Emma sat at the kitchen table, already dressed, her computer in front of her, eating a bowl of oatmeal.The moment she noticed me, she smiled.
“Good morning.Hope you are ready to tackle the day,” she said cheerily.
I didn’t respond.I wasn’t a morning person, never had been, and honestly, she shouldn’t be especially after being up most of the night.All I wanted was to spend ten minutes drinking my protein shake in peace before I had to train until I felt like I’d be sick.
I went over and opened the cupboard where I kept my protein shake to find that the canister wasn’t there.I opened the one next to it and found it wasn’t there either.
“Ah, where did my protein go?”I muttered.
“Oh, silly me, I forgot.I hope you don’t mind, but I moved it to the cupboard next to the fridge,” she sang, her voice grating on my nerves.
I glared at her.She’d been in my home less than twenty-four hours, and she was already rearranging things.
“Why?”
“Well, it made more sense to move it over there because the blender was under the cupboard, and that way my oatmeal was closer to the stove and the pots.”
I took a deep breath and closed the cupboard door, then made my way over to the other cupboard and made myself a shake.I cleaned up my things and was about to head into the living room to sit and drink it down in peace when Emma stood up.
“We should get going.”
“We?”I said, clearing my throat.
“Yes, I told you last night.I was coming with you to practice, then I’d be shadowing you for the day.”
“You can’t be serious?”
“I am.Now, we don’t want to be late, and I always enjoy a Cafe Mocha each morning to start my day.”
I gripped the cup that held my shake.
“You shouldn’t drink that crap.”
