Page 26 of One Little Kiss

Damn him. The command in his voice does ridiculous things to me. It makes me desperate to obey. “I’m always hungry.” Thank God my voice sounds semi-normal, even if my insides crash like waves in a tropical storm.

“Fucking hell,” he says, taking my free hand in his and dragging me behind him. “I love that answer. Let’s feed you.”

* * *

“You don’t have to look so upset, CC.” Colton has the gall to laugh. “I told you, I had already purchased the seat next to me before I met you. It would have remained empty, and I would be a damn fool if I didn’t fill it with your sexy self.”

How do I explain to him I don’t like feeling indebted to anyone? Certainly not him. I wave my hand dismissively while I work through this in my head. “It’s fine.”

He smirks. “You’ve been fine for almost an hour.”

My lips curl into a smile, and I angle my body toward him. “You’re impossible to stay mad at, you know that?”

Colton leans into my space, something he’s becoming very comfortable with. “It’s my superpower.”

Laughter escapes as I shake my head. “I appreciate the upgrade, Colton. Really, I do. It’s just … hmm, I don’t know.”

“You don’t like owing anyone. You do everything yourself. You don’t know how to handle someone being on your side.”

It’s like he has a front-row seat to all my hang-ups.

“It’s just been my mom and me for as long as I can remember. She worked hard to give me everything I ever needed or wanted, but I learned early in life not to count on anyone. She did the best she could, but she had to miss out on so many things to provide for us. One day I just stopped asking and learned to do everything myself.”

“Is that why she tries to be the fun one now?”

My fingers twist in my lap as I formulate a response, but Colton gently places his warm palm over them, and my body calms with the contact.

“She’s always been free spirited, but she made sure I was her priority. I think now that I’m grown, she worries that she never taught me how to have fun.”

“You know, it’s admirable to be self-sufficient, but occasionally, you have to take chances, too. Life is too short to always play it safe, Win.”

He punctuates each word with his penetrating gaze, and my body hears,Take a chance, Winnie. Take a chance on me. I shake away the thought because it’s ridiculous.

“Champagne?” Startled by Joanna’s interruption, I yank my hand free from Colton’s grasp.

“S-Sure. Thank you.” I take the glass she hands me, then pass one to Colton. His caramel eyes twinkle, and it makes my chest ache.

When Colton smiles, he looks like my best decision and my worst heartache all rolled into one devilishly handsome face.

“To new beginnings,” he cheers.

“To open, honest, and sometimes raw conversations with strangers.”

His smile morphs into something sexily dangerous. “We’re not strangers now, are we, CC?”

Gah!How can he drop his voice like that and set fire to all my lady parts? It’s terribly unfair.

“No, Mr. Montgomery. I suppose we’re not.”

Something I can’t decipher crosses his face as he unlocks the tray in front of me. “So, Win. About that. I—”

Ding.

“Hello, this is your captain speaking. Please take your seats and buckle up. There’s a thunderstorm ahead of us. We’ll be flying above it, but there will be some turbulence ahead. We’ll halt the beverage service until we reach a smoother cruising altitude.”

The plane shakes as it hits a pocket of air, sending Colton’s champagne flying all down the front of me.

“Fuck. Sorry, baby. I—”