Page 67 of Find Me

“I run at home most of the time.”

That made his smile dim a little. “Running on a treadmill just isn’t the same.”

“I don’t have a treadmill.” I regretted the words the moment they left my mouth. Why had I been raised to be a polite person?

The spark in his smile returned. “Oh, you run around your neighborhood. It’s getting too hot out to be doing that. You must go early in the morning or at night.”

The hair on the back of my neck rose. Why did he need to know that? There was a warning going off inside me. It pulled at me to get away from him. I’d ignored that warning with Mr. X. I would not make that mistake again.

I felt a hand touch the small of my back before Colt appeared next to me. “Hey, babe, what are you still doing here?” he asked as he looked from Jacob to me.

I was so happy to see him I could have kissed him. Actually, that wasn’t a bad idea. “Hey!” I said, a little high-pitched, pushed up on my tiptoes, and kissed him. He was surprised at first, but he quickly recovered. I slid my hand into his before I broke our kiss with a fake smile. “I ran into Jacob here and we got to talking.” I turned my fake smile on Jacob, who didn’t seem happy with Colt’s presence. In fact, he scowled at him. “I should really be going, though,” I told Jacob, regaining his attention. “It was nice talking to you.”

Jacob nodded curtly and headed for the exit. I didn’t take my eyes off him until he was through the door and walking into the parking lot.

“You’re squeezing my hand, babe,” Colt said.

I turned to face him. “Please walk me to my car.” I hated how there was a hint of fear in my voice.

Anger brewed like a storm in his beautiful aquamarine eyes. “Has that guy been bothering you?”

“No.” I grimaced. “He gives me a bad feeling. It’s the way he says things like how he’s watched me run and brought up how long I run. I run for hours. Does that mean he watched me for the entire time? Then he brought up how I haven’t been using the track as much and fished to know what time of day I run around our neighborhood. I know I probably sound crazy, but my instincts are screaming at me that he’s no good.”

He pulled me close so he could wrap his arms around me. “I don’t think you’re crazy. If he gives you a bad feeling, that’s all that matters to me.”

I buried my face in his chest and breathed him in.

“Hey, everything okay?” The sound of Creed’s voice made me smile and I turned to lay my cheek on Colt’s chest so I could see him.

“We’ll talk about it later. Want to take off early?” Colt asked him.

“Sure. We can go with Shiloh to the store and make sure she doesn’t buy an octopus.”

I giggled. “Did Knox tell you that?”

“Keelan,” they both said at the same time.

Colt kissed my temple before reluctantly pulling away from our embrace. “I’m going to go find Knox and let him know.”

Creed threw his arm over my shoulders and we watched Colt walk off. “What do I have to bribe you with to get a meat lover's-style pizza?” Creed whispered in my ear.

I laughed. “Hmm…my price would be physical. I don’t think you’ll want to do it.”

He shifted so that we were facing each other. “I think I’ll be the judge of that.”

I circled my arms around his waist as I stared up at him. “What I want would involve your hands.” I brought my voice down to a whisper. “They’d have to do some rubbing and massaging and they might even get a little dirty.”

The more I talked, the higher his brows rose. For a moment all he did was study me and it was taking all the willpower I had to keep a straight face. I got to bear witness to his lightbulb moment just before his shoulders slumped a little. “You’re talking about kneading pizza dough, aren’t you?”

I grinned up at him innocently. “Of course. What’d you think I was talking about?”

23

By the timewe were done eating dinner, I was wiped out. The pizzas I’d made had been a success. Even the one “fancy” pizza, as Knox had called it, had been a hit. It had been a Margherita pizza with chunks of mozzarella, basil, and balsamic drizzle. The other three pizzas the twins had helped me make and to Knox’s relief, they had been meat lover’s, pepperoni, and supreme.

Even though I was tired, I was determined to watchGame of Throneswith the guys. I ran home really quick to throw on pajamas. I chose my Hulk set. The shorts were purple and the top was Hulk green with black writing that read, “Ready for an incredible nap.” I returned to the smell of popcorn in the air and Knox, Colt, and Creed were already lounging on the large sectional. Keelan came walking in from the kitchen carrying three bowls of popcorn. He handed one to Creed and another to Knox. He smiled down at me. “Nice pajamas.”

I couldn’t tell if he was teasing or not. Narrowing my eyes, I put my hands on my hips, ready to defend my cute PJs. He surprised me when he circled an arm around my waist and pulled me down into his lap. We were all the way on the end, which allowed my legs to stretch out to the side and my back to rest against the armrest. He placed the bowl of popcorn in my lap with an innocent smile before turning to look at his brothers.