Keep It Together - By Lissa Matthews Page 0,8

she couldn’t seem to do it. All she kept thinking about was how much fun she suspected he’d be, both in bed and out. She didn’t feel like she had to hide anything about herself and she couldn’t help but wonder why.

“Right. Would you like to come inside?” Where the hell was her mental and vocal filter? She normally had one. She could bite her tongue and keep herself out of trouble. Him standing in front of her, behind her, beside her seemed to be the catalyst because she couldn’t keep her mouth shut and she couldn’t take the offer back now. It would be rude.

She picked up a jar full of water and tea bags from the bottom step of her porch. “Fresh sun tea,” she said with a smile and a completely unauthorized flirty waggle of her eyebrows.

“As a matter of fact, I would. I haven’t had sun tea in years.”

Crap. She shoved the jar at him. “Good. You can bring this in with you.”

Chapter Two

Colt walked into the small white clapboard house behind the woman he intended to marry. He knew she hadn’t meant what she said months ago about having maybe married him instead. She’d been distraught, sad, pissed off, and he couldn’t blame her for feeling any of it, but the second the words were out of her mouth, a switch flipped inside his head and wouldn’t turn off. He’d wanted her before that, when she was still planning to marry his brother, and he’d still wanted her when the wedding didn’t take place.

She didn’t think he was serious about it, but she’d soon be thinking differently.

She wasn’t as immune to him as she might like to think she was. He could see it in her pretty brown eyes, the way she looked him up and down as though she was trying to figure out where to lick first, like he was a treat and she’d been on a diet. She hadn’t been immune to him back in December either, but at first he figured it was nothing more than her being hurt and being touched by his concern. Maybe a little revenge sex crossed her mind too at that point, because he’d be lying if he said it hadn’t crossed his. He’d have taken her to bed just to drive the memory of his brother from her mind. The tearstains on her face, the lost look in her eyes for most of their short conversation tore at him. He could have cheerfully kicked his brother’s ass for being so callous.

But Chrissie was strong. Hell, she’d come out on the porch with a shotgun! Or was it a rifle? He honestly had no idea what the difference between the two was, and up until now, he hadn’t cared. He might be from Texas, but not everyone in his great state knew how to shoot or wanted to learn. However, since she seemed so fond of firearms, maybe he should inquire about them.

Walking up the back steps of her house, Colt was at a loss as to how to proceed. She was free. She was over Russ, by her own admission. And for all the thoughts and fantasies Colt had had about her over the months, nothing compared to seeing her again in person. He was in her space, her sanctuary, her home. Something about that touched him deep down inside, and he wanted to hold on to that feeling for as long as she’d let him stay.

The idea to come to Savannah was born out of desire. He’d been wanting to set eyes on her for so long. He didn’t know how she’d react, and he didn’t know how he would. He only knew it was time to see her, time to talk to her. He hadn’t intended to start off with telling her that he wanted to marry her, but he hadn’t known exactly what to say to a woman holding a shotgun and firing it.

“I’ve been talking to your dad,” he blurted out. He hadn’t intended to tell her that, not for a while yet, but it seemed his brain had other ideas.

Tension hung between them, thick and full of hot promise. Sexual tension, for sure. Even some emotional tension. But there was something else too. Connection. Companionship. Ease with each other. He’d never found that with any other woman, though he’d really never looked for it.

He liked it. He liked what sizzled between them, and he was going to figure out how