A low chuckle rumbles through the room. “That was different and you know it. After the party …”
I let out a heavy sigh, knowing exactly what he’s referring to. Every time he has hurt me or tried to push me away, I’ve always bounced back. I was always ready for more, always ready to fight back, but during that goddamn party, he crossed the line and he didn't just hurt me, he completely shattered me.
“I pulled away,” I whisper, finishing off his thought.
“You did,” he murmurs, his voice trailing off into the room, sounding more like a distant thought. He clears his throat and holds me a little tighter. “I owe you an apology.” Colton’s low voice rumbles through the room, somehow waking the butterflies in my stomach as I feel the vibrations of his tone through his chest. His words hit deep and I find myself looking up and meeting his perfect hazel eyes.
“You’re going to have to be a little more specific,” I murmur, unable to stop the smirk that pulls at my lips. “There are a few things …”
His hand trails lower to my ass and he gives it a gentle squeeze, showing off just how perfectly the size of his hand fits around my ass. “For everything,” he tells me. “Since the day you arrived here, I’ve done nothing but try to tear you down and you just kept coming back, proving over and over again just how fucking strong you are. I thought you were going to be different, but I was so fucking wrong. I underestimated you, Jade, and that’s the biggest mistake I’ve ever made.”
“You did,” I whisper, sliding my hand over his chest until it meets with his. Our fingers lace together and I find myself gently pressing my lips against his. “I’ve just never understood why. Why push me away like you did? What’s the purpose of being an ass the second I walked in here?”
“Because you made me feel something and it scared the shit out of me. My whole life has been planned out for me. Every last detail since before I was born so when something unexpected comes along, it throws me off course, and fuck, Jade. You didn’t just throw me, you fucking launched me. Everything changed when you came along.”
“You really mean that?” I question, feeling the emotions beginning to drown me.
Colton nods ever so slightly and rolls us until he’s looking down at me. “I do,” he tells me. “I’m not going to lie to you, this thing between us still scares the shit out of me. I don’t know what it is, what it means, or where we even go from here, but I know that I’m never letting you go. I don’t give a damn what Nic or any of those friends of yours say, you’re mine now.”
“Even in public?”
He nods, “Even in public.”
Well, shit. Today took a turn.
“So,” I say, needing an escape from the overwhelming emotions that are running so deep that they’re starting to make me feel things I didn’t know I was capable of. “You think you can give me one award-winning speech and throw in a few apologies and suddenly claim me like property?”
His eyes bug out of his head. “I … no. Fuck, Jade. I didn’t mean it like that. I ...”
“I’m just teasing you,” I laugh as a blinding smile cuts across my face, absolute joy tearing through me.
He stares at me blankly. “What’s the chick version of an asshole?”
I shake my head. “I think it’s still an asshole, but I guess that means we now have something in common.”
He watches me with his eyes shimmering with joy and everything inside of me warms. How is it possible for this to be so damn perfect? I always knew he had this power over me, but I never knew it could feel so pure, so strong, and filled with emotion.
I better not be falling for this guy because when he realizes that I’m just an average girl from Breakers Flats and leaves me, it’s going to suck, like really fucking suck.
“You’re going to be trouble, Oceania Munroe.”
I raise my chin, brushing my lips gently across his and not even caring that he used my full name. All that matters right here is us. “More than you could know.”
Colton catches my lips in his and he kisses me deeply, sending my whole body into overdrive. My arms snake around his neck