It really happened—which meant Colton was something more than human. He had to be, for his eyes to do that.
Katia thought that should maybe make her nervous or scared of him, but it didn’t. Instead, she felt fascinated and curiosity burned through her. What could he possibly be?
And was she truly a few fries short of a Happy Meal? Because she wasn’t as scared as she should be that her life was in danger, and now she was positive Colton was more than human and she was curious instead of freaking out.
“No,” he replied, bringing her back to the conversation. “I think you can wait until tomorrow. Besides, we were outside long enough that if they were watching right now, they already know you’re back.”
She searched his eyes, seeing the reluctance he was trying to hide. “It really bothers you that I didn’t go inside as soon as we got here, doesn’t it? And you do realize you’ll have to let me go back to work eventually, right? Otherwise, coming back here was completely pointless.”
He exhaled heavily, adjusting his cowboy hat. “I know. I just… well, I fucking hate the idea of you deliberately putting yourself out there to get them to try to kill you. I’m going to protect you, no matter what I have to do, but I still can’t stand the thought of you in danger.”
Breath catching, she felt her heart melting and she walked over to him, gently cupping his cheek. She hadn’t meant to do that, but she didn’t regret it at all. His beard scratched her palm as he leaned into her touch, briefly closing his eyes, and desire and affection shot straight through her veins.
“I understand what you’re saying,” she replied, clearing her throat when her voice came out all breathy. “I’d feel the same way if the situation was reversed. But I totally trust you to keep me safe, and this is the best way to get Justin back. I know how much you need that, and I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t have stopped chasing us anyway. At least this way, we’re on my home turf, and we have backup.”
Uncertainty flashed through his hazel eyes, followed by something she couldn’t identify. “I think you’re right. I just hate the situation, all the way around. I’m not going to be able to relax until you’re safe and Justin’s back.”
“I completely understand that,” she replied softly, trailing her fingers down his cheek as she pulled her hand away.
He reached up, capturing her hand and holding it against his chest. Her breath caught as he searched her eyes, his gaze soft and affectionate—and slowly filling with heat. She could feel his heart pounding beneath her palm, and hers reacted, beating in tandem with his.
Her breathing stalled completely as he slowly leaned down, and the last thing she saw before her eyes fluttered closed was his pupils flickering again. His lips gently touched hers, his beard lightly scratching her skin, and a wave of heat instantly washed over her as fire sizzled in her veins.
He kissed her softly at first, slowly deepening it, and she moaned as desire forcefully washed over her. Moving in closer, she went up on tiptoe, wrapping her rams around his neck. Her movements knocked his cowboy hat off and she used the opportunity to gently r
ake her fingernails over his scalp.
Colton groaned deep in his chest, the sound vibrating through her as he grasped her hips and pulled her in tightly against him. The groan tapered off into a strange hissing sound, but instead of freaking her out like she thought it should, it just amped her up even more.
One of his hands gripped her hip tightly and he trailed the other slowly up until he was cupping her face, angling his head as he opened his mouth. She followed suit, and then it was all long, open mouth kisses until he ran his tongue across her lips.
She gasped as her body reacted, lava rushing through her veins as it felt like her whole body tingled, and he used the chance to slip his tongue inside. She met it with her own, pressing her body even more tightly against his, her heart jumping in her chest as she felt his erection digging into her.
His hand tunneled through her curls, gripping tightly as his other moved around to her ass. Their tongues dueled for long moments and then he pulled back and nipped her bottom lip hard before sucking it into his mouth. She moaned, doing her best to get even closer to him, but they were already pressed so tightly together that the only way she was going to get closer was to crawl inside his skin.
He slid his tongue back into her mouth, and she was considering tearing his clothes off then and there when a knock came at the door, followed by her uncle’s voice. She jumped, automatically trying to pull away, but Colton didn’t let her. He gentled the kiss, slowly easing them down, and then gently nipped her bottom lip one more time before he pulled away.
They were both breathing heavily, and she forced her eyes open, looking up at him. His eyes were full kaleidoscope, the colors bright, and his pupils were elongated. He winked at her and bent to pick up his cowboy hat, settling it on his head as he turned away, hooking his hands on his hips. He was still fighting for breath just as she was, and she hadn’t missed the truly impressive bulge of his erection in his jeans.
Yeah, he probably didn’t want her uncle to see that, and neither did she.
Blowing out a breath, she fought to even out her breathing, running a hand through her curls. A glance in the mirror showed that they were in complete disarray, her cheeks were pink, and her lips were swollen from that truly amazing kiss.
Sergei knocked again and she blew out a breath as she went to open the door. It was clear to her that she totally looked like she’d just been practically ravished, but she was hoping he wouldn’t notice.
A hope that was blown all to hell the moment she opened the door and his eyebrows shot up. A knowing grin spread across his face as he looked from her to Colton, who still had his back turned to them.
“I just wanted to invite you two to dinner in my suite tonight. At six. Show up or not, it’s up to you. I don’t want to get in the way of any plans you might have.”
He winked at her and turned to stride away, leaving her sputtering after him. Amusement filled her as she finally closed the door and turned back around. Colton was staring at her with a wry smile, and as she moved closer, she noticed his eyes had nearly returned to normal.
Was he half snake or lizard or something? What else could account for his eyes and the hiss she heard as they kissed?
Not knowing was driving her crazy, and she was determined to ask him about it later.
“I guess it’s pretty obvious what we were up to. You look well kissed right now.”
Katia grinned at the satisfaction in his voice. “Well, that’s because I was. It was a hell of a kiss.”