Double Score

Ugh.

I used to love it when he called me that. Now I loathe the word. I’m not a kid anymore and I wish like hell he could see that.

“We had car trouble,” the brunette says behind him, but the seductive way she says it tells me that it’s a lie.

Colter releases me and shifts to stand beside me, his hand moving to the small of my back. He stiffens when his fingers graze my bare skin. Clearing his throat, he quickly removes his hand, disappointment nipping at my belly.

“Kaylee, this is my friend, Stacy. Stacy, Kaylee.”

“I’ve heard so much about you,” she says, shaking my hand.

Stacy looks just like every other woman Colter has ever brought around. Tall, thin, with an airbrushed face and fake tits. And usually, they barely have half a brain. I don’t know what he sees in these women. None of them will ever be good enough for him.

Sex.

I remind myself. That’s all Colter ever wants from them. He’s never been in a relationship. Not that I know of anyway. I’ve always wondered how he’s stayed single for so long. Because anyone who knows him couldn’t help but fall in love with him. He’s the kindest, most generous, handsome man I’ve ever met.

“Happy birthday,” he says, his mouth stretching over a pair of straight white teeth.

Colter is ruggedly handsome with short dark brown hair and deep green eyes. His jaw is sharp and shaded with a day’s worth of growth that makes him look even sexier. His body is lean but well defined.

Powerful.

That’s the best word to describe it. His presence always offers me a sense of safety I’ve never known with anyone else, except my own father.

“Thanks,” I reply.

“Stacy, would you mind giving us a moment alone please?” Colter asks.

“Sure,” she replies. Judging by the crease in her brow, she doesn’t like the idea one bit but she gives Colter a kiss on his cheek anyway. “I’ll go grab us drinks.”

Once she disappears into the crowd, I return my narrowed gaze to his. “Did you really have to bring your flavor of the month to my birthday party?” I ask, folding my arms across my chest, making my breasts push together.

Colter’s blazing green eyes flit down for the briefest moment before he quickly returns them to mine, but it’s not desire I see there, it’s anger.

“Did your dad really let you out of the house in this dress?”

I scoff. “What’s wrong with what I have on?”

“It hardly covers anything.”

I shrug. “I’m eighteen now. I can wear whatever I want.”

He grunts. “I don’t give a shit how old you are, if you were my daughter you sure as hell wouldn’t be wearing that.”

Perching my hands on my hips, I tilt my head. “Good thing I’m not your daughter then.”

Of course my father nearly had a heart attack when he saw this dress. It’s a little more revealing than what I would normally wear but the silver, sparkly two-piece number makes me feel sexy and grown up and my mother helped me pick it out so there wasn’t a whole lot more my dad could say about it once she put her two cents in.

I thought for sure this dress would garner Colter’s attention but it’s painfully obvious he still thinks of me as Tim’s daughter.

A little girl.

“Here, this is for you,” Colter says, pulling a small square box from the back pocket of his jeans.

The SpongeBob wrapping paper makes me frown. “I’m not a kid anymore you know.”

“You’ll always be sweet little Kaylee to me.” He smiles and I want to slap his stupid face, because while his words piss me off, that smile melts my insides. And he probably wrapped it himself and that just makes me love him even more. “Stop complaining and open the damn thing,” he urges.