Dream Of You - Jennifer L. Armentrout Page 0,20
my God, I was always the first one in and the last one out.
“I liked how you were nice to everyone, even the assholes who didn’t deserve it,” he continued, those azure eyes glimmering. “So, yeah, I noticed you, but you had a boyfriend. You always had a boyfriend. I respected that, but I know you noticed me.”
The warmth increasing in my cheeks had nothing to do with embarrassment.
“You know, every couple of years, you’ve crossed my mind. That’s the damn truth.” His eyes met mine and held. “It was always unexpected. Never unwelcomed. Did you think of me?”
“Yes. I’ve thought of you,” I whispered.
His grin turned smug. “Hell yeah.”
Stunned by what he was admitting, it still didn’t make sense. “I’ve seen you around town, Colton, since I moved back. At the store or the movies.” I left out the part that he was with someone else because that was irrelevant. “You never noticed me then.”
“Then I’m a fucking idiot if that’s true.”
I blinked and my gaze centered on his well-formed mouth. What did his mouth feel like? Was it hard? Soft? A mixture of both? And what did he taste like? I bet a marvelous mix of coffee and man. “Colton—”
“I should’ve noticed you. Damn, I hate the idea that I hadn’t.” Sincerity filled his tone. “I notice you now, Abby.”
My heart started tripping all over itself. “This doesn’t seem real.”
A chuckle rumbled out of him. “Why not?”
“Because these things don’t happen in real life,” I told him, leaning back and needing the space before I decided to find out exactly how his mouth felt and what he tasted like. “They don’t.”
His brows knitted together. “This is happening. It’s real life.”
“You are not getting what I’m saying.” I drew in a deep breath. “Extremely gorgeous men like you—”
“You think I’m extremely gorgeous?” His grin reappeared and so did the left dimple.
I shot him a bland look. “Like you don’t know that. And see, that’s the thing. You’re the gorgeous, confident cop and I’m not the worst thing walking on two legs, but I’m not the type of woman who snags the interest of a guy like you. That only happens in books.”
He stared at me for a moment and then he shook his head. “First off, what the hell do you mean by woman like you?”
“Do I really need to spell it out for you?”
His eyes narrowed. “Yeah, yeah you do.”
Frustration rose, racing across my skin like an army of fire ants. He couldn’t be serious. “I don’t look like the woman I saw you at the movies with. She was a tall, thin beautiful blonde. No one in this world would describe me as that beautiful woman with the hot guy. They would be like, wow, he’s really with someone quite average. And I’m totally okay with being that average chick. I know what I am, so this doesn’t make sense. I mean, unless you’re just horny and want to get laid and you have no other prospects at the moment, then that makes more sense, I guess.”
He opened his mouth, closed it, and then tried again. “If I’m horny and want to get laid?”
Yeah, I sort of couldn’t believe I said that myself.
“Honey, how old do you think I am that all I’m about is getting laid?” he asked.
“Well, I mean, I get horny and want to get laid too, and we’re roughly the same age.” I really needed to shut up. “All I’m trying to say is that it’s human nature.”
“Human nature?” His blue eyes brightened as he laughed under his breath. “Can I just tell you that I’m thrilled to hear you get horny, and honey, you want to get laid, I’m your man, but you don’t really know me, Abby.”
I was still stuck on him being my man if I wanted to get laid, and boy, did I ever want to get laid. Hadn’t even really considered it seriously in the last four years. No guy had sparked my attention, but right now? An ache had already blossomed and my breath came in and out in little shallow bursts, a reaction just to the mere idea of sleeping with him.
“And we’re going to change that,” Colton said. “You and I are going to get to know each other in a way that’s long overdue.”
My breath caught as a tight shiver coiled. “We are?”
That half grin did crazy-insane things to me. “Oh, we are. You know why? Because we got a second chance to do